Boxing has evolved because of Covid – and some of the changes should stay

Your eyes tell you this is not normal, but your ears tell you otherwise. That was the story in the stands at Wembley Arena on Saturday during Anthony Joshua’s return to the ring. It was the first boxing event to welcome fans back in the UK since the pandemic and there was a peculiar atmosphere greeting the 1,000 people with tickets.

Rows of seats were taken out to leave plenty of space, which helps to mitigate the risk of attending an event in a soon-to-be tier 3 region, but there was also the added bonus of preventing any obscured views usually associated with inebriated fans leaping out of their seats after witnessing the thudding connection of leather on flesh.

Sport has evolved to ensure the safety of fans. To remove long queues for food and drink, there was compulsory use of an app, which proved efficient in alerting you when your refreshments were ready and therefore minimised time away from watching the fights.

The trademark fireworks for the ring walks remained, with “Burning Heart” from Rocky IV building a feverish anticipation for that first bell, as Joshua soaked up his new surroundings on a much shorter journey to the ring.

But the most welcome aspect, not as crucial in other sports, was the fans shouting as Joshua broke down and eventually dropped Kubrat Pulev, with the arena ignited with adrenaline when the Bulgarian tasted the canvas. Joshua was undeniably aware of the desire of those in attendance for an abrupt finish, which may have provided the sort of opening for Pulev that proved costly against Andy Ruiz Jr.

A patient Joshua eventually delivered the emphatic finish, leaving 1,000 fans satisfied and thrilled to welcome the return of live boxing.

Yours,

Jack Rathborn

Assistant sports editor